Blizzard's Cancelled MMO Titan Became Overwatch

During a Q&A session at Blizzcon 2014, it was revealed that the cancelled MMO Titan eventually became the recently-announced FPS Overwatch.

According to Blizzard's Chris Metzen, the shift in ideas during the development of Titan eventually morphed into an entirely new game.

"We [Blizzard] decided internally to go another way," said Metzen. "What really happened was we decided to go this way. Overwatch is a very different game than what we were planning to build."

Metzen claims there's a spiritual continuity between Titan and Overwatch, and some of the ideas used in the FPS are borrowed from the canceled sci-fi MMO.

Exit Theatre Mode

Overwatch is a team-based, 6v6 multiplayer shooter taking place on a near-future Earth, starring an "elite international task force" fighting for liberty in all nations. Currently, no overarching narrative is planned, although Blizzard has said they "have some ideas on how to do story."

A PC beta for Overwatch is currently planned for 2015. When asked about the possibility of it coming to consoles, the team vaguely suggested they'd like it to be played in multiple places, saying "We would love to see Overwatch played on whatever it can be played on."

It's likely the game will be free-to-play, although Blizzard was hesitant to comment, saying they were "not really talking about the business model today."

After seven years in development, Titan was cancelled due to the team's lack of enthusiasm for the project.

Check back for more updates and our impressions of Overwatch from Blizzcon 2014.